Broken Birthday Bonds
by aznpride16xx
Summary: The guild threw Lisanna a surprise birthday party the day after she returned from Edolas. She was 20 years old now and presents were stacked sky high for her. "Happy birthday, Lisanna and welcome home!" But what was wrong with the picture here? Why did Lucy Heartfilia leave the party when it was just getting started? "So much for thinking they remembered my 21st birthday." NaLu
1. Chapter 1

**Meilin: Yo, minna! If you're reading this make sure all the lights are on, sit back and enjoy the story!**  
**Natsu: That's my line!**  
**Meilin: But I wanted to be like you... -tears up-**  
**Happy: Oooh, Natsu you made Meilin-san cry.**  
**Natsu: A-alright, alright, I'm sorry.**  
**Meilin: Hooray! This is my first NALU fic for Fairy Tail - the first chapter is sort of similar to the Edolas scenes but I cut most of it out and rushed through it ONLY because the more important parts come in chapter two. So I don't blame you for not finding the first chapter interesting. But I promise the second one will be better!**  
**Happy: She gives up all rights!**

* * *

**BROKEN BIRTHDAY BONDS: Episode 1**

Lucy Heartfillia's the name and I joined Fairy Tail almost a year ago on my birthday. Two days from that day was my 21st birthday and it was a huge deal to me. It excited me just thinking about it so I decided to treat myself to a special drink. Walking over to the bar to grab an orange-mango smoothie, I noticed that the silver haired bartender wasn't there to serve her usual customers.

"If you're looking for Mirajane, she and Elfman are at the Church. They went to visit Lisanna, their younger sister," a guild member explained.

From the stories told to me, Lisanna was a kind and caring person. She and Natsu were very close and they shared a bond that could never be broken. Unfortunately, Fairy Tail lost her on their last mission. The takeover siblings had incredible strength, none could defeat the three when they were together – but nothing could stop the tragedy that passed, a horrible accident that cut Lisanna's life short. Her breathing stopped, her heart slowed down and then…she disappeared into the afterlife, no trace of her was left behind. She had passed on.

I would have loved to see Lisanna myself. She seemed like a friendly girl that I could get along with. If Natsu really loved her then surely she was a special person.

"Lucy." I hand was placed on my shoulder breaking me from my trance like state.

"Natsu," I replied to the spiky haired boy.

"We're going on a mission!" he exclaimed. "It'll be enough to pay your rent and my food!"

"Eh? Really! What's the job description?"

Suddenly, a white flyer flew to my face and smacked me head on. I peeled the piece of paper off my face and held it elbows length from my view. After puffing my bangs away from over my eyes, I read the words written sloppily on the processed tree.

_Assistance needed from a dragon slayer, a celestial mage, and a blue cat – must have an ice mage, water mage, and a powerful leader who can wield swords…others are welcome._

"That's oddly specific," I said doubtfully. "Don't you think this is kind of strange, Natsu?"

"Who cares? This is perfect! And I've already gathered up all the people. All I need is a celestial mage, which is _you_."

"M-me?" I blushed slightly.

He nodded his head excitedly and pointed to the bottom of the request. "Look who it's signed by!"

"Mystogan?!" Shockingly enough, the request was from the mysterious member of Fairy Tail. I sweat dropped. "Couldn't he have just asked us directly?"

"Aye…" Happy, the flying exceed answered.

Out of the blue, the front gates to the guild burst open. "Natsu, hurry it up! Mystogan is waiting for you and Lucy!"

"What about me?" The floating cat sobbed. "Don't I count as a member of the group?" Sadly, no one heard the poor neko.

"You two are slower than an old married couple," the ice mage continued.

"What did you say, ice boy?" the dragon slayer growled.

"I _said_ you and Lucy are slower than an old married couple!" He annunciated.

"You wanna go?" Natsu yelled pushing his face against Gray's face, both of their eyes twitching.

"Bring it on, dragon breath!"

Slightly oblivious to the fight going on before her, the blonde haired mage flushed red and inwardly freaked out. _A c-couple with Natsu…?_

Now, I wasn't the type to freak out about boys – this was something more Juvia related. Okay so she only did that when it involved Gray but still, I, Lucy Heartfilia was strong! There was absolutely no way I would become jelly for a mere boy, but then why did my heart race for the boy named Natsu?

"Karyu no Hoko!" screamed the dragon slayer. With a deep breath that filled his lungs, Natsu launched a breath of fire at the ice mage who shielded himself within a casing of frozen water.

"Ice cannon!" Returning the favor, Gray launched a large ice bullet toward the fire breathing slayer. Being nimble on his feet, Natsu dodged the bullet by a hair and it ended up hitting me square in the face. Flying backwards, I crashed into the wall opposite of the guild.

"Good going, droopy eyes, you hit Lucy!"

"Shut it, slanty eyes. It wouldn't have hit her if you didn't dodge! What kind of a man lets the woman take the hit?"

"Lucy! Are you okay?" The scarlet haired mage asked in concern. "You two! Are you fighting again?"

Immediately the boys stopped their bickering and linked arms over each other's neck like good boys. "N-no Erza-Sama, we're the best of buds, right, Natsu?"

"A-aye!"

Erza could be really scary when she wanted to. "I'm fine, Erza. Thanks," I expressed grabbing ahold of the requip mage's hand. "Eek!" She pulled me from the floor and into a hug, my head slamming against Erza's armor.

"Ah, Lucy, I'm glad you are okay."

"I was until now," I hardly managed to choke out. Dang, was her armor made out of steel or something?

...Oh wait, stupid me. It was.

"Enough talk!" Screamed Miss Scarlet. "It is time to depart on this journey!" Dragging the two boys by the collar, Erza made her way towards the doors of Fairy Tail. "Come along, Lucy!" Without a spare of hesitation, I as well as Happy followed in the red-head's path.

~X-x-X~

"I thank you all for aiding me in my quest," the masked man said showing his gratitude. Wendy and Charla were standing next to him too.

"Mystogan, fight me!" Natsu yelled charging at the mysterious figure. Unfortunately, Erza glared in his direction which was enough to freeze him on the spot. "Sorry," he apologized.

"So, what exactly is this mission?"

"Excellent question, Gray. We are going to travel to another universe and bring back what was stolen. Somehow an item here from Earthland was teleported to a place called Edolas. Now there is an unbalance in power over there and I need your help to restore order." Mystogan explained.

"Wait just a moment, how do you know of such a place? I most certainly have never heard of 'Edolas' let alone know what is happening on that side of the universe. How could you have knowledge of such a thing?"

"I knew nothing could slip pass you, Erza Scarlet. I am not originally from Earthland – this place you all live- but a world known as Edolas. Edolas is my home but something went wrong when space collided between our two worlds. I was sent to Earthland and someone or something from Earthland was sent to Edolas. My guess is that the universe needed to balance what each place had lost, but now that power is uneven and distorted. We need to figure out what doesn't belong in Edolas."

Erza, Gray, Happy and I didn't know what to make of his speech. It sounded like a bunch of bologna. But this was Mystogan they were talking about. His whole being was a mystery.

"Yosh, I'm all fired up! Send us to Edolas. We'll bring whatever it is back to our world!"

Mystogan showed his deepest gratitude towards the dragon slayer. "Will you all be accompanying him?"

"We're in. It's not like we can leave this idiot to do a job this big by himself," Gray smirked, jabbing his thumb in Natsu's direction. Surely, Natsu would have made a comment about Gray being a stripper but Erza's aura was not something he would poke at.

"You have our help. Take us to Edolas."

"Thank you, Titania."

With a wave of his overly, gigantic wand a large black hole opened up in the sky and sucked all of us right into it! Of course, Natsu being Natsu, he got motion sickness on our way up.

~X-x-X~

"I am never riding in a magical black hole ever again!"

"Natsu, you say that about all types of transportations."

"Happy is right. Besides, when are you ever going to ride in one of those again? It's highly unlikely." I added onto the neko's thought.

"I can cast Troia on you next time Natsu-san."

We followed Mystogan's orders as we walked through the town. For some reason it creeped me out being here. It had a feeling something was going to happen – and it was no good feeling.

"I have a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach."

So, Gray felt it to, huh?

"You might be hungry. Want a fish?"

"No thanks, Happy. I'm pretty sure it's not food that's the issue."

Mystogan stopped walking, as did Erza.

"I can feel its presence. It's close by," the wizard saint gasped. He took off running in the direction of an oddly shaped building.

"Wait!"

Erza bolted after him, followed by Gray, Natsu and Happy. I wasn't a fast runner at all and so I was left behind. My stamina was close to zero as well so I didn't make it very far. My hands rested on my knees as I wheezed in and out. _How are they able to run so fast?_ Why was I so weak?

"Lucy…" I looked up and saw a hand stretched out to me. It was slightly tan, had a black band on its wrist and muscles chiseled to perfection.

"Natsu." _He came back for me._

"I can't leave my precious nakama behind. Let's go." He flashed me his goofy grin that I found so handsome and hoisted me up on his back. I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist to keep me from falling as he ran full speed ahead. The sun gleamed on his beautiful face and colored his pink hair a slight golden highlight – and I found myself lost in the sight.

"Lucy…"

"Hm?" I answered in a daze.

"You're heavy."

…

And all the way to the awkward looking building, Natsu had a large lump on the side of his head.

~X-x-X~

This was the place? It looked like Fairy Tail back on Earthland!

"This is the Edolas guild; Fairy Tail. You may see familiar faces but do not be alarmed. These people will not be the same as on Earthland. I leave the rest up to you all."

"Wait Mystogan, aren't you coming inside?" I asked him.

"I cannot. It would be too suspicious of me if my identity was revealed. Until will meet again…" he said walking off.

Upon opening the doors to the all familiar guild, a chair was thrown at us. All ducked except Erza. The wooden chair merely broke into pieces upon impact. She walked inside unaffected.

Whispers spread amongst the guild members until:

"What is the Royal Army Captain doing here?" A girl who looked just like me yelled. "Answer me Knightwalker!"

"Heh?!" Our Earthland mages bellowed in confusion. Who dared speak to _the_ Titania that way?

"Royal Army Captain?" Erza Scarlet asked in confusion. "Knightwalker? You are mistaken. I am Erza, Erza Scarlet and I am an S-Class Mage of Fairy Tail."

"You can't fool us! I am Lucy Ashley and I am leader of Fairy Tail. You have attacked us countless times and you dare call yourself a mage of Fairy Tail? Ha!"

"Oi! I don't know what you guys are blabbering on about, but Erza would never attack a member of Fairy Tail!" The pink haired dragon slayer roared.

"Natsu? Gray? What are you doing on their side? Have you betrayed us!"

This girl who called herself Lucy Ashley pointed a finger at Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster…but when her finger landed on Wendy and myself, she stopped.

"What is going on here? You're not Natsu. You're not the Gray I know, and is that Wendy and…myself?"

She paused for a moment before emotionally blowing up.

"What the hell is going on here!"

~X-x-X~

After moments of explaining, the entire Edolas guild calmed down. They supposedly were the opposite of Earthland's Fairy Tail but they were equally as destructive as we were.

"I see. So you all are from Earthland. I apologize for hitting you with a chair, Scarlet."

"Apology accepted."

A silver haired girl in a pink dress came over and offered for us a place to stay. "To show our apologies, please stay as long as you need to. My name is Mirajane. Let me know if you need anything." She smiled. Wow, she was exactly the same as Earthland Mira.

"We will accept your offer. Thank you," said Erza.

"Strip down! You're wearing way too many layers of clothes!"

"I get cold easily! Why don't you put some clothes on?"

Gray Fullbuster and Gray Surge seemed to have met their other selves.

"Hey, other Natsu, I'm Natsu too!" Dragneel never ceased to amaze me at his friend making skills.

"C-can you please stop. You're scaring m-me."

"Oh cheer up! I'm not going to hurt you," Earthland Natsu laughed as he slung his arm over the poor Edolas boy's neck.

"So what brings you here to Edolas," Lucy Ashley asked me.

"We were brought here to bring back something to our world," I answered to my other self.

A sweet and gentle voice came from behind Edolas Lucy and questioned, "What are you looking for?"

"Mirajane?"-

"That's me," she smiled.

It was strange. If Edolas was supposedly the opposite of Earthland Fairy Tail, then why was Mira the same old Mirajane? Oh, now I remember the stories, Mira used to be a punk mage. That made sense.

"Well, I'm not exactly sure what we're looking for. We were just told to find what once belonged in our world."

The take over from Edolas smiled just a tad, but I felt like something was off. I was going to ask her what was wrong but the loud slamming of the door drowned me out.

"She's here! They're coming!" a petite but firm voice yelled, her voice shaking.

Everyone's eyes widened. Wendy and I were confused. Who was this girl everyone was staring at? She had Fairy Tail's insignia embedded on her upper thigh, a beautiful periwinkle dress, and hair as white as the first fallen snow.

Natsu's lips parted. "L-lisanna," he whispered unsure of whether or not that was her. He took a step forward but a sword blocked his path.

So that was Lisanna, huh?

"Stop, Natsu, I know what you're thinking, but don't get any closer."

"But Erza!"

"No buts! She is from Edolas remember? She is not the one we all used to know."

"Erza-"

"Enough!" the requip mage cried. Her smooth scarlet bangs covered her face and a single tear fell from one of her eyes.

Poor Erza, it must be so hard for her to accept that the person they loved so much is not the one they knew when they were children.

"Lisanna!" Happy exclaimed, tearing up from happiness. He expanded his wings and flew over to her with bliss in his heart.

"Look out!" I looked over to see Gray running towards Happy and Lisanna. He grabbed them both and jumped to the floor, ducking for cover. A quarter of a second later, an explosion burst through the front entrance blowing the doors right off its hinges.

An evil laugher filled the room while all the Fairy Tail mages were stunned from the unexpected welcoming crash. A doppelganger of Erza Scarlet showed herself beneath the screen of smoke.

"Fairy Tail mages, I know you have been harboring magic weapons in your possession. It's your fault that our world is running low! Hand them over immediately or we will take them by force!"

"Over your dead body, Knightwalker!" Lucy Ashley cracked her knuckles and smirked, "And I can make that happen."

"Hah! Without any magic what can you pathetic fools do?" The one known as Knightwalker jumped down from her transportation and dangerously approached. Grabbing her spear and holding it up she preached, "Behold, the Ten Commandments!" Four bat-like wings attached themselves onto the end of the magic rod and Edolas Erza launched an attack on us.

Fortunately, our Erza from Earthland drew out her sword and blocked the attack. Knightwalker sure was shocked.

"M-me?" She asked in confusion.

"I am Erza, Erza Scarlet from Fairy Tail. How dare you use my face and attack my comrades," she said pointing her weapon at the enemy.

"Heh, you think you defeat me with a sword? I am Erza Knightwalker, the strongest and most powerful wielder in all of Edolas!" Striking blow after blow, Knightwalker was pushed back by Earthland Erza.

"We will see who is more powerful." A light surrounded Scarlet as her clothes began to change. "Kanso: Yūen no Koromo!" As she requiped into her purple robe, she hurled Knightwalker out of the guild.

Our guild mates of Earthland Fairy Tail were cheering while Lucy Ashley and her Fairy Tail gawked at the sight. "Magic at will?"

I guessed that Edolas wasn't able to use magic at will like we were.

"Aye! Erza is the strongest woman in Magnolia!"

"Attack them and take all of the magic! Do it by force if you have to," Knightwalker snared. All her minions by the troops marched right into the guild and destroyed everything.

Geez and I thought our guild was destructive! Fairy Tail from both guilds were fighting for our friends. They may be from another parallel universe but hey, they're still Fairy Tail wizards and our nakama. I would do anything to protect my friends and make them happy.

"Open the gate of the bull: Taurus!"

"I will protect Lucy's nice body, moo!"

"Defeat _that_ Erza and take out her troops!"

Taurus swung around his giant ax and prepared to attack the one who called herself Erza, the one from Edolas. He suddenly stopped.

"Oi! What's wrong? Attack her!"

"But Lucy-Sama, I can't harm Erza's nice body, moo!"

"Hey, you're supposed to be protecting me!"

"Sorry, but no can do. It goes against my principles. Maybe next time, moo~" and Taurus closed his gate and returned to the spirit world.

"You traitor!" I said flailing my arms. I heard a deep chuckle behind me. _Gulp._ I turned around and sheepishly smiled at Knightwalker. "Uh, ha-ha, I didn't mean it?"

She sent me an evil smirk and raised her weapon. In a flash I was sent flying out of the guild. "How do I get myself into messes like these?!" I yell while taking an unwanted trip across the sky.

~X-x-X~

By the time I found myself back on the path to the guild, a good three hours or so had passed by. I've been walking for ages and my back hurts and my hair is a mess! _Oh, I know!_

"Open the gate of the lion: Leo!"

"You called, Ebi?"

"Cancer? I called Loke, where is he?"

"Leo-Sama is on a date and sent me in his place, Ebi."

I sweat dropped. What was it with him and dates?

"Well, since you're here do you mind giving me a new hair style? I just landed in a lake and I can't do much with my hair without a brush."

"Yes, what would you like me to do, Ebi?"

"Hmm…How about a nice wash up and a quick trim?" Sure enough he did as I asked. I thanked him and gasped soon afterwards. "Oh, no! I need to get back to the guild. They might need my help!" I dashed as fast as I could back to Fairy Tail.

When I got there, the whole place was roughed up a bit. You know, a giant hole in the ceiling, the doors were blown off, and the furniture was broken into pieces, the usual. Upon entering the home of these mages, I saw Edolas people surrounding our Earthland wizards. They were asking all sorts of questions about magic and why we were here.

But there was one particular mage all the Earthland wizards were crowding around.

"W-why are you all staring at me like that?" She stuttered putting her hands up in front of her.

"Sorry, Edolas Lisanna, we used to have a girl just like you back on our world. She…she isn't with us anymore so it's sort of strange to see her face."

"I see. I'm sorry," she apologized. She looked quite sad, as if she experienced the same sadness of losing someone before.

"Lucy-San," Wendy said.

"Huh?"

"Are you okay? You look kind of pale. Did you get injured during the fight? Do you need me to heal you?"

I looked back over to Natsu who had a huge grin on his face as he spoke to Edolas Lisanna, err should I say Lisanna since there is only one.

"N-no, Wendy, I'm fine thanks." I replied trying to ease her mind by smiling.

"Thank goodness. Please, don't hesitate to ask me for help when you need it."

"Thanks."

"Oh, Lucy, your birthday is coming up soon, right?" I nodded. "Is there anything you wanted?" I placed my finger on my chin and looked up for a brief moment.

"I like to collect as many keys as I can. Hmm…there is this one key: Venus. It's really rare. Not that it's super powerful or anything, I just wanted one because it's the key of love and beauty."

The blunette dragon slayer clasped her hands together and her eyes twinkled. "That sounds like a great gift! I'll try my best to find it for you."

"Aw, you don't have to."

"But I want to. You've done so much for me and I…um…I think of you as my older sister," she blushed. Wendy was always shy but she is too cute for her own good.

"Arigatou, Wendy," I thanked giving her a tight hug.

Whispers started racing around the room when all eyes landed on the man at the door.

"Mystogan," Erza Scarlet announced. He walked boldly into the room making his way down the aisle.

"Who do you think you are barging into our guild like that, huh?" Lucy Ashley spat. Mystogan completely ignored her and brushed past her. "Hey, buddy, I was talking to you!" She angrily grabbed a fistful of his cape and forcefully yanked it off his head.

_Gasp!_

"Jellal?" Erza breathed out. Her eyes were wide, her mind shocked. _He _ was the only one who could make the great Titania speechless.

"You," Gray and Natsu growled.

Again, whispers were flying into the open air. No one could make out the words only sounds like "ssps" were audible. Edolas Mirajane stepped forward and bowed politely in front of Mystogan.

"My, my, it is quite the honor of seeing you here, son of Faust. To what business do you have here, Prince Jellal of Edolas?"

"PRINCE!?" I, along with the Earthland wizards, gaped. We hadn't noticed it before, but all the inhabitants of Edolas were bowing down.

Prince Jellal raised his hand. "You may all stand." He took a step backward, knelt down on one knee and took Mirajane's hand, kissing it as a gentleman would. The other guild members were squealing in jealousy… and it wasn't just the ladies.

He stood up once more and pointed to the young girl behind the eldest Strauss. "I have business with the young woman standing behind you."

All eyes were now on Lisanna. "Might I ask what you need from me, Prince?"

Mystogan – I mean, Jellal of Edolas gracefully walked towards Lisanna, all the mages moved out of the way and made a path for the prince to walk down. He placed his right hand on her left cheek and his left hand on her hip. Bringing his face down, _extremely _close to hers, Lisanna blushed a deep red and Jellal said out loud:

"You are the one."

"Heh?!" The entire guild yelled. What did he mean by that?

Erza's face was slightly saddened but mostly flushed with embarrassment and Natsu was about to go on a rampage.

"Oi, Mystogan! What the hell are you saying?" the fire dragon slayer bellowed.

The man with the tattoo on his face stood up straight and looked at Natsu. "She is the one I have been looking for."

Most of the faces that were present in the guild, including mine, went blank. No matter how smart you were, that sentence would always be misinterpreted. Everyone's minds were too shocked to process what just happened.

Jellal turned to Lisanna once more. "You are not from Edolas, are you?"

The girl in the periwinkle dress was stunned. "What do you mean? I am Lisanna Strauss. My sister is Mirajane and my brother is Elfman."

"But you are Lisanna Strauss, younger sister to Mirajane and Elfman of Earthland, am I correct?" the prince specified.

She didn't answer. How could this be? I thought Earthland Lisanna had died months ago.

"Your deed here is done. Thank you Earthland Fairy Tail for your help. The balance between our worlds shall be restored." Mystogan raised his staff and chanted a few words. All Earthland mages glowed yellow and began to ascend into the sky. He turned to Lisanna. "You will now be sent back home to where you belong."

The youngest takeover mage then was engulfed by yellow magic and began floating off into the sky. "No! I can't leave onee-sama and oni-sama alone again!"

Mira grabbed ahold of Lisanna's hand. "It's okay. We already knew," she confessed, speaking for both her and Elfman. "We figured it out eventually but didn't say anything as long as you wished to stay here. I know you're not the Lisanna we knew but you will always be my little sister."

"Mira-nee," she cried.

"It's fine. Go back. Your real brother and sister miss you and your friends are ready to have you home. Don't make them wait." Mira released the hold on Lisanna's hand and dropped down to her knees. Although she was crying, she held a bright smile toward her younger sister.

Lisanna then returned back to where she belonged, back home to Earthland.

~X-x-X~

"Lisanna!" Natsu and Happy exclaimed with tears streaking down their faces in an unruly manner. They tackled her into a hug and she smiled down on them.

"I'm home."

"Wait," commanded Erza. "We thought you died."

She sighed. "I thought I did too, but it seems that the anima sucked me into Edolas to replace their Lisanna. While I was over there the power in their world balanced out. I saw many familiar faces yet I didn't know anyone at all. As time went by, I learned to love this new Fairy Tail just as I had loved you all."

"Why didn't you tell us that it was you?" Happy asked sitting on her shoulder.

"I didn't want to have to make the choice of hurting my siblings and you again."

A thin sheet of silence coated the air.

"…In any case, it's good to have you back," welcomed the ice mage.

"Gray."

"Lisanna," Erza said. "I believe it's time for you to return home and see your siblings."

She nodded and dashed off.

~X-x-X~

Later on in the evening, I went back to my apartment. "Ah, traveling dimensions really takes a lot out of you, right Plue?"

"Pun-puun!"

"I can't believe one day in Edolas is two days Earthland time." I hopped into the nice, hot bath and soaked in the calming sea salts. "This feels great!"

~X-x-X~

"Natsu, Gray, Wendy, Happy…"

"Yes, Erza-san?" The two dragon slayers, ice mage and exceed gathered around the red headed mage.

"Now that our mission is concluded, I believe a celebratory day of birth party is in order."

"That's right! And I still have to get a present for her!" Wendy jumped excitedly.

"You're really into this aren't you, Wendy?" Gray asked. She gave him a nod.

"Yosh, I'm all fired up!"

"Aye!"

"This party has to be huge and glamorous with lots of strawberry cake!"

"I'll make the ice sculpture."

"Happy and I will get the decorations. After all, we do know her best," he grinned.

"I'll be in charge of the cake! Now minna, let everyone else know about the party tomorrow but make sure they keep it a secret from her! Move out!" Titania commanded.

~X-x-X~

"Lucy!" Natsu screamed jumping through the window.

"Gah, Natsu! How many times do I have to tell you to use the door?" I said wrapping the towel tighter around my body.

"I forgot."

I sweat dropped.

"Anywho, come by the guild at 10:30 am sharp! We have something set up so make sure you come on time!"

I blushed. They remembered my birthday.

"But make sure you don't say anything. Sh!" He grinned holding a finger over his lips. Then he jumped back out.

"Use the door!"

I went to sleep happy that night, but little did I know how big of a surprise it was going to be.

* * *

**Meilin: That's it for now but be sure to read on! I have a preview for you at the bottom ^.^  
Lucy: Be sure to leave a review for the birthday girl! -smiles and uses sex appeal-  
Happy: Lucy, what's wrong with your face?  
Lucy: Nothing is wrong with my face!  
Meilin: Leave me some Feedback please! :)  
Arigatou!**

* * *

_Preview:_

"_Where is Lucy?" Wendy asked scanning the guild to find the stellar mage._

"_She went home early. She said something about her stomach feeling weird," the dragon slayer explained._

"_But why would the birthday girl leave her own party?" She mumbled to herself._

"_What was that?" He questioned not catching what she asked. Then he noticed the small rectangular shaped box in her hand. "Oh, is that for Lisanna? I can give it to her if you want."_

"_Lisanna?"_

"_Yeah, it's Lisanna's 20__th__ birthday. That's why we threw this party, don't you remember?"_

"_Oh, no," she gasped._

"_What's wrong, Wendy?"_

"_Natsu-san, today is Lucy's birthday."_

"_No it isn't silly. Today is Lisanna's birthday."_

…

"Oh, no. Lucy…"


	2. Chapter 2

**Meilin: Konnichiwa, Minna-san! Are you all ready for the next chapter?!  
-Awkward silence-  
*ahem*  
Meilin: I **_**said**_**, "ARE YOU READY FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER?!"  
Natsu: Who are you talking to?  
Meilin: -Sulks- Myself apparently. –sigh-  
Happy: Why are you making that ugly face?  
Meilin: -Face saddens-  
Natsu: Good job, Happy, you made her sad!  
Meilin: If I owned you two I'm sure you would never upset me...but you guys are too cute to stay mad at! :D**

* * *

**BROKEN BIRTHDAY BONDS: Episode 2**

"How does this one look on me, Loke?"

"It looks magnificent, my princess."

Loke sat on my bed watching me as I modeled all my different outfits.

"Honest?"

He stood up and straightened out his tuxedo, the fabric clinging to his well-chiseled arm muscles.

"You always look beautiful, Lucy." He looked straight into my eyes and…cracked up laughing?

"AHAHA!" He wiped a tear away from his face. "Sorry."

"What? Does it look bad?" I asked rechecking my outfit.

"No, no. You look amazing. I was just thinking how cute you are trying to impress Natsu with your outfit."

"W-what are you talking about?" My face went bright red. He looked at me and smiled. "How…how did you know?"

"I am your spirit. I can feel what you're feeling." He placed his hand on my head and told me, "Chin up, Princess. You are such a beautiful girl and I am sure even Natsu –no matter how dense he is- will go for a girl like you."

Oh him and his ways of swaying a girl's heart with his words. But I didn't expect anything less from him.

"Th-thanks."

"Anytime, Kiddo. Hm, I think those pink pumps would match your black dress. Plus, it matches the color of that Dragon slayer's hair."

"Nhn!" I nodded. "Hey, Loke?" He looked at me and I smiled. A few tears were present in the corners of my eyes. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, my Princess."

~X-x-X~

I stood before the two large, double doors of the guild. I could hear the whispers of everyone and the shuffling of feet. A big smile was plastered on my face as I placed my hands on the wooden frame.

"Shh! everyone get into place. I can hear her!"

I think that was Natsu's voice.

"Are you ready to make your grand entrance, Princess?" I confirmed his question while the Lion proudly gave me a kiss on my hand. "Happy Birthday, Lucy," Loke bade before poof-ing back to the spirit world.

"Here I go." I pushed the doors wide open and stepped inside.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY L-"

"Wait, wait!" Erza shouted. "It's the wrong person!"

Wrong person? "What's going on?" I asked, my smile slowly coming down.

"Lucy! You're just in time! Hurry and-"

"She's coming!" Gray interrupted.

"Everyone get into position!" Natsu yelled out.

"W-wait, what is going o-ah!" Natsu grabbed my hand and flung me behind him. What in the world was going on here? I'm not sure how, but I was suddenly shoved into the far back of the guild.

The doors swung open once more and a white haired mage came walking through.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY LISANNA!"

Party poppers were shot, confetti flying everywhere, and balloons were let lose. Lisanna clearly was not expecting this, but she looked so happy and she definitely was surprised.

"I had no idea!" She gasped.

"Well, neither did I," I mumbled to myself.

"And there's a whole table filled with gifts for your honor today, Lisanna," Erza announced.

"You guys are so thoughtful! Thank you," she beamed with happiness.

"Actually, Natsu was the one who planned this party out for you. I hate to admit it, but the flame brain did something thoughtful for once."

"Hey, I heard that!"

"Good, you were supposed to!"

"You wanna go, slanty eyes?"

"You're on, squinty eyes!"

The youngest Strauss sibling intervened before things got to hectic. "Natsu, you did all of this for me?"

A faint pink brushed his cheeks and he cutely scratched his cheek. "Uh, yeah," he smiled. Kawaii!

She attacked him into a giant hug and cried his name, saying things like how thoughtful he was and how sweet, how she would never forget this moment, blah, blah, blah. But when I looked at his face, any hopes of us being together dropped through the floor like acid. Never in all my days of being with him had he looked so happy. How come I could never make him smile like that? Why didn't he ever look at me with sparkling eyes?

"Natsu," I whispered to myself. I smiled slightly despite the fact that I was hurting on the inside. Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked at them holding hands. If I had known that I was crying, I would have left, but I didn't notice until Gajeel approached me.

"What's wrong, Bunny girl?"

I broke from my frozen state, slightly startled by the sudden voice. "Huh? Oh, I, uh….it's nothing. I just got something in my eye. It's probably all the smoke from the candles and party poppers. I've got sensitive eyes, you know? Ha-ha." Of course, he raised an eyebrow at me. Who wouldn't have spotted that obvious lie?

"I won't pry into your problems." Then he walked off.

"Thank you."

He grunted, acknowledging that he heard me but chose not to say anything else on the matter.

I walked over to the picnic table in the far back corner of the guild. Before sitting down, I scanned the place. Everyone seemed to be having so much fun.

Canna was drinking more than usual.  
Erza was eating an entire strawberry cake to herself.  
Gajeel was singing on stage with Mirajane.  
Natsu and the birthday girl were dancing, chatting happily.  
Even Gray was talking to Juvia!

I sighed.

"Is there something wrong, Lucy Onee-san?"

"Eh, Romeo? No, nothing is wrong. Are you enjoying the party?"

"Yep! I think it's great that Natsu Onii got reunited with his girlfriend."

"G-girlfriend?"

"Yeah, didn't you hear? When they were kids, Natsu promised to marry Lisanna Onee when they got older."

"Lisanna Onee, huh?"

"Yeah! I think of Natsu as my brother, so if he gets married, Lisanna will be like my sister!"

Romeo was so happy talking about them like that. It was only him and his dad, so I'm not surprised that he looks up to Natsu so carefully.

But boy, did I wish he knew how much his 12 year old words were scarring me. Deep wounds.

"Well, you go on and enjoy the party, Romeo. I'm going to grab a piece of cake and eat it here." I stood up and walked past the pre-teen boy. Grabbing a piece of cake, I dodged all the flying mages and furniture and resumed sitting in the lonely corner.

My stomach wasn't in the mood for cake but if I didn't eat a piece, I would be a party pooper…but I just couldn't bring myself to eat it at all. Not even a single bite. I stabbed the cake with my fork and brought it up to my lips, but I still couldn't eat it. I pushed the cake back and forth on the plate and swirled the red and white icing together. It created a soft pink color, like Natsu's hair.

I sighed. Ugh! What is up with me sighing all the time!

"Lucy, is something wrong with the cake?"

"Nothing's wrong with the cake, Erza. I'm just not in the mood to eat it anymore."

"But we can't let it go to waste."

I looked up at her pleading eyes and noticed her eyeing my piece. "Do you want my piece, Erza?"

"Of course, I'll take it because you offered. It wouldn't be right if it just went bad. Remember not to take more than you can eat next time, okay Lucy?" She happily walked off with the cake and ate it with much joy.

Again, I was left alone without anything nearby. No, there was Canna's martini glass sitting in front of me. She left it there when Master challenged her to a drinking contest. Gildarts participated in that as well.

_Splash!_

"My new dress!" I said as I furiously rubbed the alcoholic drink off. I looked over to see Gray running from Juvia. When did this happen?!

"Sorry, Lucy, I didn't mean to ruin your clothes," he apologized.

"It's okay. I know you didn't mean to but maybe you should try putting some clothes on."

"Ack! When did I strip?" Juvia held her fiery cheeks as she attempted to look somewhere other than his body.

"Juvia thinks Gray-Sama's body looks good without his clothes," she stuttered. His face distorted into discomfort and made his quick getaway.

I did not stay around to witness anymore recklessness in amongst the guild. I bought a baggie hoodie from the Fairy Tail gift shop out front and escaped into the bathroom. Changing into the sweater that covered down until it hit my knees, I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled. But then my smile faltered.

_Why can't I get Natsu to look at me like that?_ _Duh, Lucy, Lisanna is so much cuter than you and look how you're dressed. You look like a potato sack._

I let my tears fall. I was in the bathroom, no one could see me. My mascara and eyeliner ran down and smudged. I looked horrible, but what did it matter? I had no one to impress now.

The doorknob shook and the door opened. I ran into a stall and locked myself in the confined space. I lifted up my legs and curled into a ball on top of the toilet seat hoping no one would discover I was here.

Giggling…she was giggling as she walked into the girl's washroom.

"You really think so?"

"Absolutely, Lisanna! You and Natsu will definitely get together. I mean, sure, it's been a while but you guys are definitely hitting it off." _Does that voice belong to…?_

"Thanks, Levy, you rock!"

"Aw, my baby sister is growing up!"

"Mira nee, you're suffocating me."

"Opps! Sorry," she apologized.

My best friend likes her more than me, huh? What am I saying? They've known each other for a while. They've all gotten to know one another over the years and they have bonds that they share. I just happened to be picked up by Natsu. There's no doubt that we've grown together and have some sort of connection. But I'm just a friend and that was all I'd ever be.

"Let's get back to the party. Gajeel is waiting for me and Natsu is waiting for you!"

I heard the door open and shut again, but I made no effort to move. I stayed seated in the stall and rested my head against the wall. And what did I do? I cried, cried like the weakling I knew I was.

~X-x-X~

I pulled the hood up over my head and tried to sneak out of the back door.

"Lucy! Where are you going? The party is just getting started!"

"Hey, Natsu, I'm just going to head home. I'm not feeling too well."

"Aw, don't leave yet, Luce."

_Please, don't call me that anymore._

"Sorry, I'm not feeling up to partying today. Bye."

He grabbed my arm. "At least wish Lisanna a Happy Birthday. I know I've been hogging her all day and you didn't get a chance to, but I can take you to her," he grinned.

_Why does he talk about her with so much…so much love?_

"I would," I lied, looking over to Lisanna surrounded by a bunch of people, "but, it looks like she's busy. Maybe another time." Then I left without another word. I knew it was selfish but I couldn't hold it in anymore.

~X-x-X~

The chilly air hit my face as I stepped outside into the night. The crisp air stabbed me like a million needles.

_This is so stupid. I'm acting like a love-sick high schooler._

"Lucy, be careful!" the boatman yelled from the river. "It's dangerous to walk on the ledge. You might fall in."

I sent him a reassuring smile and waved.

The sidewalk came to an end, but for some reason I kept walking. I stepped off the ledge, but-

"Lucy!" A hand attached itself to my wrist and pulled me to his firm abs. Unfortunately, we both fell into the pond. After resurfacing, he held me tight as I shivered.

I looked up at the face and met his dark alluring eyes. "Gray," I breathed through chattering teeth. The water was below 30 degrees even though it was July.

"Are you crazy!" He yelled at me. I unintentionally flinched away at his sudden raise in voice. His eyes softened towards me.

"Sorry," I apologized looking away.

He sighed, almost as if he was disappointed. "Let's get you dried off."

He offered to carry me back to my apartment, but I refused and walked on my own. Gray gently ushered me inside and sat me on my bed while he drew a steamy bath for me.

"The bath is ready. You should get out of those wet clothes."

"What about you?"

"Me? This is nothing. I'm an ice wizard, after all." He froze the water on his clothes and body and shattered them into tiny diamonds.

"I guess not getting cold comes in handy. Then, I'll be in the bath." I walked into the bath and submerged myself under the cloudy water. I had a million things going on but nothing inside my head. What was wrong with me?

_Why do I get so frustrated when I see Natsu with Lisanna?_ I sunk lower into the bathwater and closed my eyes.

_Knock, knock, knock. _"Lucy, are you okay?"

_Gray?_

"Lucy? You've been in there for a while."

"I-I'm okay." I jolted up to my feet and all the blood rushed to my head. I felt a little woozy and my knees gave out from under me. "Ah!"

_BAM!_ "Lucy!" Gray barged into the bathroom thinking I was hurt. His cheeks flared up and he turned his head to the side. "S-sorry," he apologized while looking at the floor. "Are you alright?"

"I just got dizzy that's all. I'll be out in a second."

Timidly, he nodded and walked out shutting the door behind him. For some reason my cheeks felt hot too. It was probably because I've been in the bath too long. I changed into my pajamas and wrapped my hair in a towel.

"Sorry I made you worry…but th-thanks, Gray."

"It's, uh, fine." He cleared his throat to make the air less awkward and asked me something that caused the atmosphere to be even _odder_. "So, what were you doing outside? Wasn't the party fun?"

"I, um…" _What should I say?_ "Yeah, the party was fun." _But I wasn't having fun at the party._

"So what do you think about Lisanna? It was your first time meeting her, right?"

"Yeah, she's' really pretty and sweet. We have a lot more in common than I imagined." _Like our birthdays and the fact that Natsu…Natsu-_

"We should all hang out tomorrow…well, if they're not all drunk and still partying. Haha. It would be good for you and Lisanna to get to know each other better. I'm sure you two would be great friends."

"Uh, y-yeah." I looked down at my lap and played with my hands. It wasn't as if I was shy or uncomfortable talking with Gray. The conversation wasn't exactly what I wanted to be talking about.

Gray grabbed my hand and pulled me up. "Come with me."

"Where are we going?"

He didn't answer my question but kept dragging me out of my apartment. We ended up at an ice skating rink.

"Gray, I don't know how to skate."

"I'll teach you," he grinned. My face was hot again…why? I thought I liked Natsu…

Taking my hand into his larger ones, he guided me to the rink. He stepped in first and helped me in afterwards. Taking one step at a time like he instructed, I began moving centimeter by centimeter around the rink. Of course, I was clinging onto his hand and arm for dear life, but after a little while it wasn't so bad.

"Look out!" A kid screamed from behind us. "I can't stop!"

He was going to crash right into me…but I didn't know how to move! How was I supposed to dodge a flying body?

Before a horrible collision could occur, Gray swept me to the side, shielding my body with his as he gracefully skated away. My heart rate sped up a little bit but calmed down.

"You're okay, right?" the ice mage asked me.

"Y-yeah, I think so. Thanks for that."

"Anytime. Let's take a break," he suggested noticing my quickened breaths. I simply nodded. Gray held my hand and guided me over to the gates. I felt his hands on my sides as he hoisted me out of the ice skating rink. "Watch your step," he warned me.

Carefully, I stepped out and he followed behind me. I stood frozen in my spot because I had a horrible time walking with the figure skates on. Again, he took my hand and walked me over to the bench and crouched down to take off my shoes for me.

"I can do it myself, Gray."

"It's fine. I want to."

He then proceeded taking my shoes off while I sat there and looked down at him. Unconsciously, my hand moved and gently traced the scar on his forehead. _Where did this come from?_

"Lucy?"

My face went red. "S-sorry, it's nothing!"

He chuckled. "Let's get out of here. Your nose is red. I think you're getting a bit cold."

"Yeah, that must be it," I lied.

I didn't notice it before, but when Gray took me back home, we didn't go back to my apartment. "What are we doing at the guild?" I asked bitterly. I didn't mean for it to come out that way.

"Honestly, Lucy, what's wrong? You've seem so distracted today." Gray turned his body towards me and closed in on the empty space. He put his hand under my chin and lifted my face to meet his eyes.

"G-gray, wait."

The guild doors slammed open and out came Natsu with his arms slumped over Lisanna's shoulder. They were laughing and smiling.

"Put some clothes on, ice pants!"

"Way to ruin the moment, Natsu," Gray mumbled to himself. I was the only one who caught that.

"Natsu, let's go! I don't want to wait another second," Lisanna squealed.

"Where are you guys headed?" the shirtless mage questioned.

"We're going back to the house Natsu and I used to play house in. It's where we found Happy's egg!" The takeover mage was incredibly happy remembering all the childhood thoughts that they had together.

"Stop being so nosy, Gray!"

Said boy unknowingly released my hand and pointed a fist at Natsu. "What did you say?"

"Boys, boys! Let's call it a draw," Lisanna said getting herself in the middle of the two rivals.

"Fine, only because it's your birthday today, Lisanna."

_Hah. What do birthdays mean anymore, anyways?_

"Lisanna! Come back inside! You have to open up your presents!"

"Mira-nee, Natsu and I were actually going to-"

"Nonsense! That can wait until tomorrow. Everyone wants you to open up your gifts!" Mira took ahold of her younger sister's arm with an iron grip and yanked her behind the doors.

I took this chance to walk back to my apartment.

"Lucy, aren't you going to come back inside and be with everyone?" Gray asked.

"No thanks. I'm still not feeling up to celebrating right now. Give Lisanna my best." I went back to my home after that. Today was okay. I had fun skating with Gray, but I didn't want to go back to the guild for the rest of the night.

Don't get me wrong, I love Fairy Tail and I still want to be with them…but right now is not a good time.

~X-x-X~Wendy's POV~X-x-X~

Wendy finally found the Venus key that Lucy has been wanting! The little dragon slayer felt bad about missing the first half of her party, but that could be easily forgiven. Besides, Wendy made it to the night party and in Fairy Tail the parties always go on for days. Heh. That's what made Fairy Tail so great.

Stepping into the guild,everyone was huddled around a single table. The little lady shoveled her way through a whole crowed of people almost getting to the center but unintentionally got shoved out.

"Careful there, Wendy. They didn't mean to push you. They're just having way too much fun," Natsu grinned after catching her.

She stood up and straightened out her blue dress. "Thank you, Natsu-san."

"Don't sweat it. So where were you at the party this morning?"

"I went out on a job with Charla and I found the perfect present to give to the birthday girl," she smiled. Lucy was going to love her gift.

"That's nice of you, Wendy. She's opening her gifts right now. Do you want to give it to her?"

The child of Grandeeney nodded. She looked to her right, and then to her left, behind her and in front of her. No sign of her.

"Where is Lucy?" Wendy asked scanning the guild to find the stellar mage.

"She went home early. She said something about her stomach feeling weird, I think" the fire dragon slayer explained.

"But why would the birthday girl leave her own party?" She mumbled to herself.

"What was that?" He questioned not catching what she asked. Then he noticed the small rectangular shaped box in her hand. "Oh, is that for Lisanna? I can give it to her if you want."

"Lisanna?"

"Yeah, it's Lisanna's 20th birthday. That's why we threw this party, don't you remember?"

"Oh, no," she gasped.

"What's wrong, Wendy?"

"Natsu-san, today is Lucy's birthday."

"No it isn't silly. Today is Lisanna's birthday."

…

A bone chilling silence blanketed over the two of them.

"Oh, no. Lucy…"

* * *

**Meilin: Oh-ho-ho….now you've done it, Natsu.  
Natsu: It wasn't my fault!  
Meilin: How could you forget your best friend's birthday?  
Natsu: What? Me! You are the one who wrote it!  
Meilin: Don't sass talk me, boy. I can make anything happen in this story.  
Natsu: So, what? You have a laptop and can type. Big whoop.  
Meilin: -Evil eye glint-  
Happy: I don't like the looks of that.  
Meilin: I can see the next head light "Natsu finally gets defeated by Gray Fullbuster."  
Natsu: Over my dead body!  
Meilin: I can make that happen.  
Natsu: O.O No, thank you.  
Meilin: Hee-hee, I thought so.**

* * *

**Oh and sorry I updated later than I wanted to. School had been crazy. I'm in my first semester of being a college freshman and it's going to take a little getting used to. But I'll be updating faster. I promise. And the semester is almost done (a few weeks) and then I can update every week or so. **

**I want to thank **_**Nightmare's Death**_** for reading and reviewing my other stories even though they're finished. It made me incredibly happy to know that my old stories are not rotting away. AND even though they're finished he/she reviewed them anyway and that makes an author proud to write for his readers. So, thank you Nightmare's Death!**

**Please feel free to read my other Shugo Chara/Naruto/ Kaichou Wa Maid Sama stories!**

**Gimmie some love by reviewing and let me know what YOU want to happen to Natsu/Lucy/Gray!**

* * *

_Preview:_

"_I haven't seen Lucy in a few days. Does anyone know where she is?" Erza questioned._

_Natsu and Wendy sat silently at the table._

"_What's wrong, Wendy?" Charla worried. Happy asked Natsu the same question._

"_What's wrong with you two? Did something happen?"_

"_Shut up, Gray," Natsu said in a deep voice. Everyone was shocked. Natsu never spoke to anyone in that kind of voice unless something was seriously wrong._

"_What the hell is wrong with you?"_

"_Um.."_

"_Yes, Wendy?"_

"_You see, Erza, Lucy…her birthday…we missed her birthday."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Well…"_

"_Lisanna and Lucy have the same birthday and I forgot about her," Natsu finished. He slammed his fist into the table and burned a hole through it with his flames._

"_Lucy…" he whispered._


	3. Chapter 3

**Meilin: How was everyone's Halloween?  
Happy: I dressed up as a fish! I looked so tasty that I wanted to eat myself =^.^=  
Meilin: I was a half-eaten watermelon! Hehee :3  
Natsu: Why did you guys dress up as food? Being a dragon was way cooler.  
Meilin: Hey, you're a Dragon Slayer! That doesn't count Dx  
Natsu: What, and you're telling me that your costume was better than mine?  
Meilin: Of course it was! I hand made my watermelon dress and everything! –puffs out cheeks- Besides I could probably slay you in one stroke!  
Natsu: Ha! Well, I could've eaten you in one bite!  
Meilin: O/./O  
Happy: That sounded perverted Natsu.  
Natsu: WHA? I didn't mean it like that! Stop twisting my words around Happy!  
Meilin: -In shock-  
Happy: Please read on, aye!**

* * *

**-Update-**  
**Meilin: Oh gosh….I freaking hate being busy and I've been so swamped! School is supposed to get easier at the end of the year NOT "oh hey let's pile on the homework before Christmas break"….UGH! –sigh- I want to apologize for updating super late. I wanted to get this out early but….it seems not. Please excuse all the grammar and spelling issues. This was not edited. Lol. Any who, please read on and thanks for all the reviews!**

* * *

**BROKEN BIRTHDAY BONDS: Episode 3**

I went straight home to my apartment and locked the door behind me. For once, I locked my windows and closed my curtains. As much as I wanted to see him, I didn't want to see him at the same time.

_Poof._ "Happy Birthday, Hime-Sama. Is it time for my punishment?"

"Thank you, and no, Virgo, no punishment. Can you help me pack some of my things? I'm going to go on a job soon." I dragged out a big suit case from under my bed and flopped it on top of my bed.

"That is a rather large luggage bag, don't you think?"

"Not for the mission I'm going on," I replied packing some clothes into my bag.

"Hime-Sama, may I ask you a question?"

"What is it Virgo?" What she said to me next was completely unexpected that it had me stop in my tracks.

"Is this about Natsu-san and the others?"

"Can you grab me that notebook over there?" Pointing over to the table that had my writing equipment on it, I completely ignored her question in hopes she would understand. After handing me the book, she bowed and disappeared.

I was truly grateful that she did not press into the situation further but I was still uneasy about the whole situation. It wasn't something that I was ready to talk about.

"Lucy-Sama," he said down on one knee.

I sighed. "Did Virgo send you, Loke?" I shut my suit case and zipped it up.

"We need to talk, Lucy." He came over and stood behind me. His lean form towered over my head. He hugged me from behind and set his chin atop of my blonde hair. "All your spirits can feel your distress. What can we do to make you feel better?"

Tears fell silently, but he could still see the few droplets that rained over my pink case. I turned into his chest and whimpered quietly. He understood. I knew he did, but at this point he couldn't do anything except embrace me so that I could cry.

At times here and there I could feel myself nodding off to sleep but I had to catch the train before the last one departed.

"You should get some sleep," Loke advised.

I shook my head. "I have to catch the last train tonight. Will you accompany me?"

"I really don't think that you should go on this mission by yourself."

"I'm going, Leo. I need to get away and clear my head. If you don't want to come with me, I'll call out Taurus." I lifted the bull's key up but the lion stopped my hand from summoning him.

"I'll be with you, my Princess, all the way."

I knew he was only saying what he did for my own good and I'm grateful, but another day with this awful feeling would be the death of me. And so, I boarded the train with the King of the Zodiacs until I fell into a slumber on his shoulder.

"Natsu-san, wait," Wendy called out. Said boy marched angrily from the guild into the streets kicking the pebbles that blocked his path. Her words fell deaf upon the older dragon slayer's ears.

"Did anyone else forget it was Lucy's birthday or was it just me?" he asked.

Wendy looked at the back of Natsu's vest and gave him the truth. "Everyone else seemed to have forgotten when Lisanna came back."

"Who knew they would have the same birthday, huh?" Natsu Dragneel bitterly chuckled. He was hoping that Lucy wouldn't have been offended but it was her first birthday here in Fiore…with Fairy Tail! "I'm going to Lucy's place to apologize."

Wendy smiled to see the determination on Natsu's face. "I'll come with you!"

…

"What do you mean, 'Lucy isn't here', Landlady?"

"It is exactly as I stated pink head. Lucy has gone out. She is not in her apartment. Do. You. Understand?" And then she shut the door in both the dragon slayers' faces.

"What do we do now?" Wendy asked timidly.

"Let's go back to the guild. Someone else might know something."

Hurriedly, Natsu ran to the guild at full power with Wendy struggling to keep at his tail. He slammed the two doors open upon reaching his destination and screamed, "Where's Gray and Erza?!"

The place went silent and all stared at Natsu Dragneel but no one seemed to address his question.

"They went on a mission, but they should be back soon," Master said while chugging down a glass of beer with Cana.

"Gramps! Did Lucy take on a mission? She's not at her apartment and I can't find her anywhere!"

"Natsu, my boy, Lucy can handle the mission on her own. Don't forget that she has Loke with her."

"So she _did_ go on a mission! Thanks, Gramps!" And so Natsu dashed toward the train station.

Wendy inwardly sweat dropped. _There's no way I can catch up to him now._ She thought.

"Relax, Wendy. The boy has got to do what he needs to do." Cana Alberona sat on the bar table gulping down her barrel of alcohol and sighed deeply. "Besides, there is no stopping that hot head when his mind is made up."

She was right. Nothing in the world could stop the Fire Dragon Slayer when there was something that he needed to accomplish.

…

"Stop the train, stop the train!"

"Sorry, son, I can't stop it until our next destination," the engineer shouted from the moving train. Even though the speed wasn't humanly possible to catch up to, the Dragon slayer was no ordinary human.

He clenched his teeth tightly together, balls his hands into fists so hard that his veins popped out, and gave himself a boost with the flames around his feet.

"LUCY!" I heard someone shout.

"Is something wrong, Lucy?"

"Huh? Oh, no, Loke. I just thought I heard my name. That's all." _I must be imagining things._

_Thump…_

"Ack!" I screamed. "Natsu? What do you think you're doing?"

As much as I "loved" seeing Natsu's sickly green face pressed up against glass, I had to get his face away from mine.

"Open…the window….blargh."

"Ew! Don't puke on the train!" I opened up the window, feeling a bit sorry for him and his motion sickness problem. After I let him in, he collapsed on my lap with his green puffy cheeks.

"I'm going to go for a moment. I'll be back later."

"Wait, Loke, don't leave me here with him!" Despite my protests, the Lion kept walking away. "Aw come on! At least bring me a barf bag! Loke!" I cried.

After about a half hour or so, Natsu decided to wake up.

"Lucy, I-"

"Why are you here?"

"I came to-"

"Shouldn't you be back in Fiore celebrating Lisanna's return?"

For a few seconds he remained silent. I guess my bitter tone of voice didn't exactly tell him I was happy.

"Sorry," I apologized.

"Lucy, I'm sorry I forgot your birthday." He bowed his head in respect.

His face had a hurt and guilty expression and I felt a bit sorry. He came all this way to come and apologize.

I laughed and he looked up confused. "Did you honestly think I was mad because you forgot my birthday? Ha-ha!" I falsely wiped a tear from my eye."

"You're not mad?"

"Of course not. That's silly." I lied.

He didn't seem to buy the lie though. "Then why did you leave? Come back and enjoy the party."

"I left because my rent is due soon and I have no money to pay the landlady. She was so angry that she kept nagging me about it. I'm just stressed out, that's all. Plus, every time I go on a mission with you, Gray and Erza, something always gets broken and we're left with nothing!" _That's true, but the reason why we never get the job done without destroying something is because you always have to save me. I always have to be saved by someone._

"Oh, so you just have money problems? I guess I'll leave you to the job then. Are you sure you can handle it?"

I nodded my head. "Don't forget, I have Loke and my spirits by my side." I winked and held up my shiny gold and silver keys.

"Oh, that reminds me," he stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a box. "Wendy got this for you as a birthday present. I don't have anything for you though. Sorry."

"For me?" I took the box and opened it and gasped. "The Venus Key."

"Oh-ho-ho," Nastu laughed. "It's so shiny! What does it do?"

"This is not an 'it'. Venus is a 'she'. Like in mythology, Venus is the goddess of beauty, sex, prosperity, and victory. She's not a constellation but a goddess who was said to be as beautiful as any star in the heavens. That's why she's so rare."

"Goddess of victory, huh? That means she can beat anyone!"

"Um, I don't think that's how it works." I sweat dropped. Suddenly, something came to mind. "Oh wait, aren't you supposed to have motion sickness?"

There was a dumbfounded look of realization on his face before he fell to the ground and clutched his stomach.

"I think you should get off the train now."

Without a second of hesitation, the dragon slayer was up and out that train kissing the ground as if it were his very life.

I laughed. He was so simple minded, but that was probably why I fell for him.

Loke came back not too long after that and told me our destination was just up ahead. I was going to be gone for a few days. I would still be in Magnolia but a few hours away from Fairy Tail.

I knocked on the door of the large double doors. Was this a guild? It bared a flag in the front of the guild with the head of a…a tiger head on it, I think.

"Um, excuse me. I came here to accept the job offer," I yelled through the doors.

It opened up and revealed a woman.

"Who are you?"

Man, was she scary. "I'm Lucy Heartfilia. I came to accept the job on behalf of Fairy Tail." I held up a flyer with the information on it and she rudely snatched it away from my hands.

"Why would Sabertooth ever ask help from a bunch of stupid fairies?"

_Sabertooth? Oh, this must be another guild. Wait, why would a guild ask another guild for help?_

"Minerva! Who is at the door?"

"A fairy. She claims that we asked for help and put it up at Fairy Tail's job board," the girl named "Minerva" spoke.

My eye twitched. _Stupid Fairy? How can they be so inconsiderate? _

"Um, hello. I'm standing right here," I stated as a matter of fact.

She eyed me up and down and bitterly laughed. What nerve.

"Oi, Minerva. I put up that request."

"What? Why would you do such a thing, Sting? How disgraceful."

"Relax, Minerva. It's fine." He looked at her directly in the eyes and smirked. She wasn't too happy but smiled back at him.

"Fine, but if she gets in my way you can consider your pet as good as dead."

They both chuckled as Minerva walked away.

"Um, I think maybe I'll have to reconsider this job offer," I said hesitantly. This didn't seem like such a good idea after all. I turned around only to be held back against my will.

"I guess the weaklings of Fairy Tail can't handle such a simple job. What a joke," he evilly whispered in my ear. He pushed me into the street and laughed in my face. "Go ahead and leave. I knew Fairy Tail was a disgrace. There's no reason for you guys to be considered a real guild. Pathetic."

A vein popped from my forehead as my eye twitched (again!) in annoyance. "Fairy Tail is not a joke! We're stronger than anyone else in Fiore! I'll show you. I accept your job offer!" I screamed. Immediately I began to regret having such a big mouth…but no one talks about my friends that way.

"Perfect," he commented.

And then it hit me… "You set me up!"

He rolled his eyes at me. "What gives you that idea?" He walked away after that leaving me behind. Cocking his neck to the side, Sting looked over his shoulder and ordered, "Hurry it up. You are now my temporary slave so you better listen to you master."

Yet _another_ vein formed on my forehead and my brows furrowed together.

"If you keep frowning, you'll get wrinkles."

This guy…he's so…ugh!

"Let's get going. I have things for you to do, _slave_."

"Stop calling me that," I demanded.

"Fine then….Let's get going, _Blondie_," he smirked.

I've had it! I raised up my fist and hurled it at his face.

He caught it with ease. "Ah-ah-ah~" he sang. "You are never supposed to attack the client. Or is Fairy Tail so incompetent that they can't even do that much?"

_You're lucky that I can't hit you right now._

"Please forgive me. I don't know what I was thinking." I bowed in respect even though I didn't want to, but unfortunately, he was right about that rule.

"Please forgive me, what?" He pressed.

"Please forgive me….master," I gritted.

"Much better. Now let's be off. I have things for you to do."

I had a bad feeling that this was going to be torture.

…

"Here, all of these things should be done by tonight." He handed me a scroll of paper. As I untied the small piece of string, the piece of paper rolled down to the floor and past my feet by a few inches.

"How can any human being finish this all in one day? You have got to be kidding me!"

"Listen here, Blondie, if you can't do it all by tonight then you can forget about getting paid."

I went to open my mouth but I had no comeback. "Fine."

Not wasting any more time, I got straight to work. I cleaned the entire Sabertooth guild, Sting's room and bathroom. He was surprisingly clean and tidy for a boy. I stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind me and all of a sudden-

"Oof!" I fell on my butt.

"You don't fly gracefully, do you, fairy?"

Scratch that….I was _pushed_ onto my butt.

"What's your problem?!" I finally snapped.

"My problem is you! I don't know why Sting offered a job for you, but don't get close to him. He's mine."

"Listen, Minerva, I don't want to have anything to do with him! He's loud, rude, and an arrogant bastard! I'm just trying to get this stupid job done so I can get paid and go home. So, back off!"

Maybe that wasn't the best thing to say.

"What did you say, _fairy?_" She looked beyond pissed now. In just a second, her hand clutched at my neck while my back was firmly pressed against the wall. I wasn't strong enough to shove her off and I was beginning to lose all supply of air.

"You better watch what you say, you stupid girl. I'm the queen in this place. Whatever I say goes. I could have anyone of my goons dispose of your body right now."

_I can't breathe._

Minerva dropped me like a weight. No doubt my face was turning blue. Any second later and I would have been a goner.

"Remember this well: I am the Queen of Sabertooth."

Placing my hands around my neck and panting heavily, tears formed in my eyes and I couldn't stop them from falling. It didn't matter if Natsu paid more attention to Lisanna. That was the least of my worries. I just wanted to be home and alive.

I gathered all the cleaning supplies that I had dropped when Minerva slammed me against the wall and hid myself in Sting's room. Locking the door, I took a seat at the foot of his bed and curled up on the floor and cried to myself.

A few minutes later, Sting came into the room.

"Oi, Blondie, you're not supposed to sleep on the job!" He came over to me a nudged me with his foot.

I opened my eyes and looked up at his face. I must've cried myself to sleep.

"W-whoa, why are you crying?"

I quickly stood up and wiped my eyes with the back of my arm. "I'm not crying." Okay, yes, that was a horrible and obvious lie, but I didn't want him thinking I was weak or something.

To my surprise, he grabbed me by the shoulders and held me tight for a moment.

"S-sting?"

He blushed for a second before returning to his original smirk. "You liked that didn't you?"

"In your dreams!" I screamed before storming off. The nerve of these people! I could even hear his annoying laugh from down the hall.

I smiled to myself a bit. _Maybe being here won't be too bad after all._

…

"I saw you hug that fairy!"

"Minerva, calm down. So what if I did?"

"So you did?"

"I didn't say that. I said 'what if'."

"Sting! This is not funny. She is from Fairy Tail!"

"Relax, she's just my slave right now. She's only doing some chores and she'll be gone in a few days."

"She better be out of here by the end of the week."

"Five more days will not kill you."

"No…but it might kill her," Minerva hissed as she walked off. Sting's face dropped into a monotone expression and shivers went up my spine. I better stay on her good side. Five more days, and then I will be out of here, huh? I can do it. You can do it Lucy!

I walked up to Sting who stood there in the hallway and pinched his sides.

He jumped up and turned around with a flushed face as I attempted to stifle my laugh.

"What do you think you're doing, Blondie!"

"Lighten up. I was just trying to have some fun. You guys are way too stiff here."

"That's because Sabertooth doesn't tolerate weaklings."

"That doesn't mean you guys can't have fun."

"I am not boring."

"It sure seems that way."

For the second time today I found myself pinned up against the wall, but this time I wasn't being held up by my neck. The blonde dragon slayer trapped me inside both his arms and began to lean forward.

"S-st…what are you doing?" My face felt warm as his lips came closer to mine. He didn't move any closer but didn't back away either. I pressed my hands against his chest and pushed as hard as I could. He weighed a ton!

"Sting-kun, what are you doing? If Minerva finds you like this, you will be in big trouble."

"Lector…"

"Stop flirting with the blonde girl and let's go on a mission!" the dark colored exceed exclaimed. "I already picked one out for us! Rogue and Minerva are coming along as well."

The talking cat picked up the flyer and handed it to his partner.

"Rouge?" I mumbled to myself.

"Rogue is one of the Twin Dragon Slayers, but not as strong as Sting-kun."

"Let's go Lector. We have to pack for the trip. This mission doesn't look all that hard but it'll take almost two days to get there."

"Hai!"

"So does that mean I can go back to my guild?" I said excitedly. Stars twinkled in my eyes and I clasped my hands together in glee.

"Haha. Nice try. You are coming on this mission with us."

…

"EH?!"

* * *

**Meilin: MINNA! I AM SOOOOO SORRY THIS IS OVER A MONTH LATE!...and it's total crap at that. Jeez. –sigh- Forgive me! T_T  
Natsu: Where's the leftover turkey?  
Meilin: Happy ate it.  
Natsu: No way! He eats fish!  
Happy: But the turkey was shaped like a fish.  
Natsu: I'm hungry!  
Meilin: Hungry for reviews?  
Natsu: No, I'm pretty sure my stomach wants food….OR FIRE! Yeah, that sounds yummy.  
Meilin: I'll supply you plenty of fire IF you win the Grand Magic Games. THOSE EPISODES ARE SO AWESOME RIGHT NOW AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE REST! AHHH!  
Natsu: I'll definitely win! Unlike that loser, Gray.  
Meilin: GASP! Don't call him a loser! It was his first time AND he was the first one to go AND that stupid purple guy was only targeting him AND Gray tried his best so don't talk about him like that!  
Happy: Breathe, Meilin, breathe! You're face is turning purple.  
Meilin: -lightheaded- I'm getting back in bed. I've been sick all weekend and I missed my Monday class because I passed out and slept through my alarm clock. Anyway, see you next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Meilin: I have written this chapter three times….THREE TIMES! My computer decided it wanted to piss the hell out of me this month. SIGH. I really don't want to write this again but things happen…sigh. I didn't reread this chapter so please point out any mistakes you see. I'll do my best to fix them.**

* * *

**BROKEN BIRTHDAY BONDS: Episode 4**

I seriously didn't understand how they could walk two straight days in the desert. I mean, honestly, what normal person could withstand this heat?!

….Oh right, Natsu could.

Stop it Lucy! You left on this mission to stop thinking about them. I slapped my hands against my cheeks and put on a look of determination.

"What are you doing?"

"Ah, Sting! When did you get so close to me?"

He stared at me closely and I began to feel a bit uncomfortable. No, not because he was inches from my face, more so because Minerva was glaring daggers into my skull.

"What's up with you? You've been making strange faces ever since we left the guild."

"I'm being forced to go on a mission with you guys of all people! Of course I would have mixed emotions about it." I reasoned. It wasn't entirely a lie, but they didn't need to know about what I was really feeling. "What type of mission are we going on anyways?"

"Not that you need to know," Minerva interjected. "But Sabertooth was hired to ensure the safety of a woman."

"What kind of a woman are we escorting," Lector questioned.

"There wasn't much detail on her. We only know that she wears a hooded cloak and she goes by the name Michelle," Sting said, informing his partner. "But as long as we get the reward it doesn't really matter who it is, right?"

As always, Rogue stayed silent but his exceed, "Fro thinks so too!"

Minerva stopped walking when we came in front of a building. "We're going to take a little pit stop. Grab what you need before we depart again. We shall meet back here in five hours. Do not make me wait." She went her way.

"Who died and made her the boss?" I blabbed without thinking.

The White Dragon laid his hand on top of my shoulder causing me to jump. I wasn't expecting that! "She is the daughter of Sabertooth's master, so she has the right to do what she wills. Try not to get on her bad side."

"Too late," Lector snickered, stating the obvious. They both laughed at me while I fumed in the spot I was standing in.

"Sting."

All three of us looked over to where the voice came from and watched as the Shadow Dragon spoke once more. "We are wasting time."

Sting sighed. "Right, right, let's go stock up on some food for the road before we head off again. Lector…"

The owner of the exceed extended his hand out to the cat and Lector sprung up onto his hand and climbed onto his shoulder without hesitation. They both smiled at each other and bumped fist to paw. I couldn't help but let my lips stretch out into a smile. They may have some sort of mischievous behavior but behind that somewhat of a cold attitude was a caring heart.

"Oi, blondie! If you keep daydreaming like that we're going to leave you behind."

I broke out of my daze only to find the four members walking down the road. "Wait up guys!"

…

"Natsu, will you come with me to the place where we found Happy?"

"Lisanna?"

"I just wanted to relive some of the memories with you. I mean, something horrible could happen to me again and I just want to make sure that I get to do the things that I love before…I die."

"Well you're not going to die anytime soon. I'll make sure of that. I will protect you," he said with a toothy grin.

The younger take over mage clung to Natsu's arm like it was her last life line. She snuggled closer to him and said, "This is nice, isn't it? We get to be together like the old days."

"You know, I really missed you Lisanna."

"You did?"

He nodded. "And everyone in Fairy Tail missed you too. It was hard without you."

"Oh, Natsu…"

"After you left, it was hard for me and Happy…you were gone so there was no one to make us any food! We had to go on more jobs to pay for restaurant food. The prices were so high!"

Lisanna sweat dropped…but then she laughed at his silliness. Of course Natsu would say something like that.

He continued to tell his story. "But then I met Lucy in town and she became a member of the guild. Everyone loved her and Cana said Lucy kind of reminded her of you. But that's beside the point. After Lucy came in, Happy and I didn't have to starve anymore, hehe. She let us eat whatever she had in her fridge. I'm sure you two would be great friends! I know, I'll introduce you guys when she gets back from her mission. But we should get back to the guild. It's getting dark."

Natsu turned around with his hands behind his head and began walking towards the sunset.

"_If_ she gets back from the mission," the white haired girl mumbled.

"Did you say something Lisanna?"

"Nothing, let's go back," she said smiling.

…

Minerva took the lead once more when they headed towards their destination.

"It's too bad we couldn't stay in this town a little longer. There were so many cute shops I wanted to check out," I pouted.

"We don't have time for such trivial things," the queen bee buzzed. She flicked her long dark hair behind her shoulder and stated, "Unlike Fairy Tail, Sabertooth has set their priorities straight. There isn't room for playing."

I sighed. Same Minerva, she's just as "lovely" as ever.

On our way to pick up a girl named Michelle, we ran into a few thieves and bandits. They tried to steal my keys, they attempted to kidnap Frosch and Lector, and tried to grope Minerva…that last part I didn't need to see, but they weren't successful in doing any one of those things. There was no way I was going to let anyone lay a hand on my keys. Sting and Rogue protected their companions with no hesitation and Minerva sent a glare that shocked the enemies in their spots.

"What's wrong Minerva? You always enjoy beating the crap out of idiots. Are you losing your touch?" the White Dragon Slayer teased.

"Shut up, Sting."

"Maybe you're just getting old."

"Not another word from you, dragon slayer."

"Oh? But this is too much fun," he snickered. "If you keep frowning like that, you're going to develop early wrinkles."

For once, Minerva didn't retaliate to Sting's immaturity. She put up with it for quite a few hours until we passed about 3 or 4 more towns. I've never seen her so quiet. Something was up, but I didn't want to pry and end up dead. Sting could say whatever he wanted and get away with it, but me…I think if I valued my life, I should keep my words to myself.

It was a little after the sun had set when Minerva decided to sleep at an inn until the sun rose again. The five of us rented a master suite that had two large rooms and a pull out couch. Unfortunately for me, Sabertooth members got first pick. I was stuck on the couch. It wasn't entirely bad though, the couch was more comfortable than any room Fairy Tail could afford…then again, we did get charged for breaking everything.

I couldn't sleep knowing that I was at the center of Sabertooth's strongest mages. Who knew, they could have killed me in my sleep! In all honesty, I think I was just nervous, but I hugged my keys close to my chest. They provided me much comfort and eased me. I still didn't fall asleep though.

I heard a door creek open and I shut my eyes and pretended to be asleep. A few moments passed and all I heard was cabinets opening and closing and pill bottles shuffling around. I peeped open one eye and saw Minerva's figure looking for something through the medicine drawers.

It didn't seem like she found what she was looking for, so I quietly walked up to her and handed her a white bottle with pink pills in it. "Here," I offered. "This should numb the pain for a few hours."

She took the bottle from my hand and read the label. Her face had a slightly shocked expression on it, but I didn't say anything to make her embarrassed. After all, we're both girls and we have to have each other's backs when it came to this type of thing. I crawled back under the covers of my soft couch and closed my eyes. I fell asleep instantly after that. I guess I wasn't so nervous now after all.

The time came again to depart the town and move forward. I woke up a little bit earlier than everyone else to take a nice shower before leaving. As I stepped out in my skirt and blouse, I noticed sting holding a bottle as I was drying my hair.

"Who's are these? Wait, don't tell me? Is this why you were acting strange, Minerva? You're on your monthly? Ahaha! Who would have guessed that this type of thing affected even the strongest women," laughed Sting. He slumped over, holding his stomach in laughter as Lector did the same. Rogue cracked a smile (him still being of the male species found it funny) but turned his head to hide that fact. Frosch had a worried look on his face. He didn't think what Sting was doing was very nice and he feared that Minerva would harm them if this situation was pressed further.

A woman being on her period is embarrassing no matter who you were. Only if guys understood our pain, but they don't. Minerva's cheeks were getting a little pink and no one has ever embarrassed her before, at least not directly like that. I felt bad for her! A woman's monthly was nothing to take a stab at.

"Actually, those are _mine_," I said. It's not a lie. They are mine, but I didn't exactly use them last night. I went up to him and snatched the bottle from him. "If you don't mind, _Sting_, I'd rather you not be a pervert. This is for women only so keep your claws off. Yes, I'm a girl and I get my period every month. It's nothing to laugh at. But I see you're still a little boy, a tiny baby lizard, so I wouldn't expect you to understand. Besides, talking to you wouldn't do anything. Hmph!" I shoved the bottle in my bag and walked past Minerva, but not leaving without giving her a little wink.

You're probably wondering why I stood up for her when all she ever does is beat me down. Well, I'm human and she's human. We're both ladies and even if she wasn't a friend of mine, I'd stick up for anyone who ever needed me. That was how my mother raised me, Lucy Heartfilia to be a respectful adult.

I packed up all my belongings and marched out the door with my head held high. "Well, aren't you guys coming or are we going to have to wait for the Dragon Slayers to sharpen their claws and scales?" I giggled and waited outside for them. I wonder if Erza would be proud of me. Teehee.

* * *

**Meilin: Hm, so I don't think I should be making promises to update faster. I mean, I'll still update until it's done, but school is too busy and I hate telling you guys excuses about work and school. I'm not done with this story yet, there's still much more to go! And I hope you guys will stick with me through the end. I really appreciate you guys continuing to read even though I disappear every now and then.  
Natsu: But you can always count on Meilin!  
Happy: Aye sir!  
Lucy: Mind telling me why I stood up for Minerva? Did you NOT see what she did to me in the Grand Magic Games?!  
Meilin: Calm down, Lucy, who knows, maybe she'll be nicer to you for sticking up for her.  
Minerva: Don't count on it.  
Lucy: See?!  
Meilin: -_- Thanks for having my back Minerva, but I expect nothing more from you. Please R&R and I'll try to update faster. After my next exam tomorrow I should have a little more free time, but I'm not sure how fast the next chapter will come out. See you my lovelies! And sorry for no preview this time, I'm not sure what will happen next ^.^"**


	5. Chapter 5

**Meilin: One more week of school! I have exams this week that's why I haven't been on FFic lately. I've been trying to get all my homework and paperwork done to turn it before I go into cave mode and study my brains out. Okay so here is my schedule….After Thursday I will be on my "summer break." This break only last 5 DAYS before I have to start summer semester. So in those five days I will update as much as I can!  
Natsu: Only 5 days for summer break?  
Meilin: Sadly, yes. I'm going straight through college until 2015 so I can graduate faster and go into "graduate school" or specialist school.  
Happy: Will you have time for us?  
Meilin: OF COURSE I WILL! I'm going fishing in my free time, so I'll bring you back some fish Happy. :)  
Happy: Yosh! I'm all fired up!  
Natsu: Hey, that's my line!  
Meilin: No arguing! This story hasn't been updated since a month and a half ago! On with the story!  
Oh my goodness, please excuse all the mistakes. I know there are a lot and I will fix them when I have the chance. Thank you!**

* * *

**BROKEN BIRTHDAY BONDS: Episode 5**

It was another lively day in the famous Fairy Tail guild. Mira was behind the bar as usual, Elfman was blabbing something to Wendy about being a man, Levy was reading a book with her red spectacles, Gajeel was eating some iron bolts, and Cana was– well you can probably guess.

"Natsu, you idiot, give me back my underwear!"

"Muwahaha! Come and get them back if you can!"

"G-gray sama!" squealed a blushing water mage.

Those three…, is there really a need to explain? You know how it is.

Lisanna came through the front doors with her bright smile and purple dress. She walked to the back of the guild and sat down on a stool in front of the drink serving station. The eldest take over mage pushed a drink near her and said,

"We need to talk, Lisanna."

"Mira-Nee, what is it?"

"I want to talk to you about that flyer that was on the job board last week."

"Flyer?"

"The one from Sabertooth."

"…Oh."

"Why did you convince Lucy to take that job? You knew it was from Minerva's guild. Lucy could be in danger."

"Lucy has her celestial spirits, she can take care of herself," Lisanna explained. She stood up to leave, not wanting to be interrogated by her sister any longer.

Grabbing ahold of her wrist, Mirajane sternly looked at her younger sister. "Lisanna, I know you are my little sister, but Lucy is a part of the Fairy Tail family too. I can't just let this slide by. I have to make sure that she's safe."

The little sister yanked her arm from the grip and forced a smile upon her face. "Lucy is fine. She is the only one who can go on this mission and successfully complete it. I know she's a member of the guild so I would never do anything to put her in harm's way." After telling her that, Lisanna walked away.

…

"State your name and business here," a guard at the gate announced.

"We are Sabertooth. We've come to escort the princess like the job description has requested."

"And your name is?"

"Minerva, daughter of Sabertooth's master."

"Please, enter and wait for the king and princess."

The six of us entered the castle gates and stood before the throne of the king. About ten minutes later, two people cloaked in royal robes appeared before us. The princess and her father had their hoods up so I wasn't able to see their faces. The only things that were visible were the blonde wavy hairs that peeped out from her hood and the king's mustache and beard.

"Sabertooth, my daughter is the most precious possession I have. I have hired you to escort her from this castle to the mansion she grew up in. If there is even a single scratch on her body, you all will pay dearly. Is that understood?" the king commanded in a low voice.

"Yes, your majesty. Be rest assured, there shall be no problems. I can guarantee you the princess' safety while in our hands," Minerva boldly stated. "Now, let's be on our way. We have no time to lose."

On our way to the mansion, the princess always traveled guarded by us. Minerva was at the front, the princess was behind her, Sting was to her right, I was to her highness' left, and Rogue followed silently behind.

I scooted in a little closer to hooded woman, "So, what's your name?" I asked politely.

"That is none of your concern," she said in a low voice.

_Okay…? Did I get on her bad side?_

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. I'm Lucy Heartfilia, by the way. Just let me know if there is something I can do for you." I distanced myself from the girl and guarded her like I was supposed to. I didn't know her story, so there might have been a reason why she didn't want to tell me her name.

We seemed to travel at a decent speed through the villages. For some reason, it feels like I've been here before, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. _I remember._ I stopped walking for a moment when I remembered where I was.

"Oi, blondie, stop daydreaming. We've got places to be."

I understood that it was Sting who spoke to me, but I didn't comprehend anything he told me. I ran from the group, my feet bringing me through the flea market to the familiar building that sat a couple hundred feet away from me. I came upon a building with a pink sign that said "Love and Lucky."

"Hey, where do you think you're going, you stupid fairy!" he yelled after me. "Tch."

I calmly walked through the doors and spoke to a brunette with a button nose and a green vest. "Excuse me," I said. "I'm looking for Jude Heartfilia. He is a member here, isn't he?"

"Um, would you perhaps be Jude's daughter?" she questioned with a worried look on her face.

"Yes, that's me."

"Um…"

"What? Has he quit already?" I joked.

"Um, It pains me…to have to tell you this, but, Jude passed away about a month ago. I'm truly sorry for your loss."

_No, this is…_ I didn't remember leaving the building, but here I was outside, sitting on the front steps staring at the ground. Everything around me just seemed to disappear.

x.x.x Sting POV x.x.x

"There you are! Are you seriously trying to make us miss our deadline?" I snapped. I wasn't one to care for much, but when it came to a mission our duty to perform came first.

The blonde just sat there as if she didn't hear me. "Oi!"

She looked up at me slowly, her eyes like a hollow chocolate shell; no life, emptiness, sadness. She got up lifelessly from her sitting position and apologized.

"Sorry, let's keep going." She only took about eight steps past me before stopping again. Her head kept hanging low and her face never regained that dumb smile she always had on.

x.x.x Lucy POV x.x.x

Minerva stood before me with a slightly frustrated look on her face. "We're going to take a break. Everyone, meet back here tomorrow morning at 8 sharp!" she commanded.

_Thank you, Minerva._ I thought. I wasn't really in the condition to be traveling, especially if we ran into some monsters or something. I was too distracted. I walked away to somewhere other than here. It was dark by the time I realized that I had stopped by a river. There was a small bridge connecting from one side of the river to the other, but I stood underneath the bridge.

My father died…I wasn't sure if I was sad. I definitely was not happy, but I didn't know what I should've felt at the time. I sort of felt like crying, but no tears were coming out, so I sat on the ground and threw pebbles into the water.

…

"Man, why are we taking _another_ break? What was Minerva thinking?" Sting bellowed out.

"There was a reason," the shadow dragon slayer inputted. The white dragon slayer looked quite confused.

"I think she was upset," Rogue answered.

"Fro thinks so, too!"

"Maybe we should go find her and cheer her up," Lector suggested, putting his two cents in.

No one seemed to say anything after that. They all just seemed to sit in less than comfortable silence.

"Why are you all staring at me?" Sting shouted. "I didn't do anything!"

All eyes looked away, and again, nothing was said. His jaw dropped slightly, but he regained his composure. "Tch, I'm leaving…but **not** to find that dumb fairy!" Slamming the door on his way out, the stubborn dragon slayer mumbles incoherent words to himself as we followed the scent of the celestial mage.

He found her not too long afterwards wading her hand around in the water, watching her own reflection get disrupted by the ripples in the water.

"What are you doing way out here by yourself?"

She looked up at the voice standing on the bridge above her and sighed. "I just needed some time to myself."

He jumped from the bridge and landed smoothly on the ground beside her. "Rogue said you were upset."

"Is that so?"

"Um, so…what's got you down in the slumps?"

She didn't answer him for what seemed like hours (but only ten seconds in reality) and it made him kind of nervous. He was Sting, the White Dragon Slayer who could destroy anything in his path; the man who slayed his dragon parent with his own two hands! Yet, here he was trying to console this fragile girl and he had no clue what he was doing or how to do it.

"Y-you don't have to tell me if you don't want to," he stuttered, getting a little flushed in the face.

"My.."

He waited for her response.

"I just found out that my father died. That building I was sitting in front of, that was where he worked." There was a slight pause before she continued. "I'm just not sure how I should be feeling. I mean, my dad and I didn't exactly leave off on the right foot. The last time I saw him was when I told him to get lost and leave me alone."

"You know what I think?" he announced, throwing a rock into the river. "I think you're angry that he died. You wish that you could see him one more time so that you could properly apologize, but now that he's gone you don't get that chance."

She stayed silent. Was he right?

"You're sad he died, who wouldn't be? But you're angry with yourself. Let me tell you something Lucy, you don't have to hate yourself for it and bottle it up inside. It's okay to cry for things like this."

In that instant, the celestial mage burst into tears. She wiped her flowing tears with her arms but nothing seemed to dry fast enough. Sting Eucliffe extended his hand outward and placed it on her head. He gave her a slight pat without looking at her directly, and then she cried even more while clinging onto his shirt like it was the last lifeline.

It wasn't until daybreak when Lucy woke up. She opened her eyes and took in her surroundings before she noticed that she had fallen asleep on Sting's lap. Quickly, she got up and caught the sleeveless blue jacket that fell from her shoulders before it descended into the waters.

Smiling, Lucy hugged the vest close to her person and stared at the dragon slayer. _He looks just like a little boy when he sleeps._ Not waiting one moment more, Lucy poked Sting's cheek with her finger a few times.

"Oi, Sting, it's time to get up."

He grumbled a few times before his eyes met the shinning rays of the sun. He was still in a slight daze.

"Geez, Sting, if you don't wake up, Minerva is going to be mad at the both of us for being late." She dipped her hand in the chilly morning water and splashed a handful at him to wake him up.

"H-hey!" he protested. "I'm up!"

Giggling at his out of character state, Lucy smiled gently at him and handed him his boa-styled jacket. "Thank you, Sting, for yesterday. I feel a lot better now."

He snatched his coat from her hands and turned away to put it on. "Whatever," he said obviously embarrassed. He turned back around to look at her and she still had that stupid grin on her face. "G-go wash your face in that river, Lucy, your eyes are all puffy and red."

She had a look of shock on her face.

"What?" he asked annoyed.

"You called me Lucy again." A shade of coral pink tinted his cheeks and he looked away at nothing in particular.

"You're just delusional. I think you need to get your ears checked. Hurry it up or I'll leave you behind."

Sting began walking away and Lucy quickly splashed some water on her face before catching up to him. She was slightly hesitant at first, but seeing as she was caught up in the moment, the spirit mage grabbed Sting's hand and walked a little faster, pulling him forward. He was taken off guard as well, but wrapped his fingers around her hand, nonetheless.

* * *

**Meilin: Waaa! Do I sense a new pairing?  
Natsu: NO!...wait, what is Lisanna planning?  
Lucy: Is Sting falling in love with me?  
Sting: O-oi! You were all over me, not the other way around!  
Happy: You liiiikkkeee her!  
Meilin: Thanks again for sticking with me! I hope you are all still out there! But I do have a question for all of you…There are 135 people on story alert, 81 people on story favorite, but only 73 reviews, don't you see something wrong with that ratio? Come on Fairy Tail lovers! You guys are the ones who make the story happens.  
Show the FAIRY TAIL GUILD SOME LOVE! See you next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Meilin: Konnichiwa! –Sigh- So I didn't get to update over my one week vacation like I wanted to, but I was called into work and just couldn't find the time to write this. Plus school is eating away at me and my teacher is a douche. Boo…  
Natsu: Who needs school anyways?  
Meilin: I know! Half the stuff you learn in college is totally useless, but it's important because you need all those pointless classes to get a degree. Blah. Oh well, I'm just going to have to suck it up and deal. Natsu! If there was someone like you going to school with me, I wouldn't mind going to class.  
Natsu: Yosh! I'm coming to school with you!  
Meilin: I really wish you could, Natsu. I honestly wish you could -.- **

* * *

**BROKEN BIRTHDAY BONDS: Episode 6 **

"Before we continue any further to our destination, I need you all to put on these blindfolds," the hooded woman spoke. Minerva took it without hesitation and covered her eyes, the same with Sting, Rogue, Lector, and Frosch. The five of them continued to walk as if they could see through the black cloth.

"Um, I'm not sure how you guys are doing it, but how am I supposed to walk without bumping into anything?" I asked. These people were nuts! There is no way we can all travel the rest of the way without being able to see!

"You will just have to make due. I cannot allow outsiders to witness my other home. It is critical," she explained underneath the hood.

I reluctantly put on the blindfolds and took little steps with my arms out in front of me. _One step at a time, Lucy. One at a time._ I could hear everyone's footsteps distancing themselves from me. _I'm going to get left behind at this rate!_ I quickened my steps in hopes to catch up, unfortunately my foot got stuck in a crack on the ground. An arm wrapped around me before I had a chance to fall. I clung onto it with my life as the person helped me to my feet.

"Take it easy, Lucy. I won't leave you behind."

"Sting?" I asked clearly surprised.

He took ahold of my hand and squeezed it lightly. I could hear him smile through his words. "Come on, I'll help you."

Even though he couldn't see me, I nodded and gripped onto his hand. My face rose in temperature a bit too, but thankfully he couldn't see that.

x.x.x.x.x

"Here we are," the hooded woman stated. As we pulled the blind folds from our eyes, the light temporarily shrunk our pupils. She walked up to the castle doors and had the guards open them up. Looking back at us for a split second the girl said, "Follow me. There is something I need your help with." She turned back around and led us to the end of the hallway.

"It's a dead end," Lector pointed out. He was right. There were no doors or passageways.

The girl crouched down to the floor and peeled back the rug to reveal a trap door beneath our feet. Inserting a rose shaped key, a latch from the floor popped up. Beneath the door was a secret stairway that we took to get to an underground room.

The room looked rather large, but there were many boulders stacked up against the walls making it appear smaller than its actual size. There was nothing in this room, nothing but rocks.

"This is where I will require your assistance," she said. "Celestial wizard, summon forth the Lion and the Bull."

"Huh, me?" At first I was confused but did as I was told. "Open the gate of the Lion: Leo! Open the gate of the Bull: Taurus!" Loke and Taurus appeared before me and greeted me.

"Dragon slayers and spirits, as you can see this room is filled with nothing but large boulders. Do whatever you can to break through them. I, myself, have tried many times to get passed, but I failed every time. These are no ordinary rocks that you can simply break. There is some sort of barrier surrounding the area."

"Heh, no barrier is going to stop me from getting through," announced the Light Dragon Slayer as he punched his fists together. "All right, Rogue!"

"Hai."

The two Dragon Slayers inhales as much as their lungs could fill and exhaled it all in one powerful breath.

"I-impossible," I stuttered. Not even a scratch had appeared on the boulders.

"Have I not told you before? These are no ordinary rocks. You will need much more power than that to get through the barrier." The cloaked woman issued sternly.

"Then leave it up to us! Taurus, Loke, help out Sting and Rogue and break down that wall of rocks!"

"Anything for Lucy's nice body, moo!"

"Of course, Princess."

With a swing from the bull's sharp axe, the impact of the lion's mighty punch, and the light and shadow breath of the dragon slayers, four powerful attacks swirled into one and collided against the barrier. A huge cloud of smoke blocked everyone's vision, so we waited for it to die down.

x.x.x.x.x

"When is Lucy coming back? I'm bored!" whined Natsu.

"Why don't you go on a mission?" Mira suggested.

"But Gray and Erza are already on one and Lisanna went with them. I can't believe they left on a job without telling me!"

"Isn't it because you break everything, Natsu…Aye," the neko confirmed, answering his own question.

"Happy, who's side are you on?!"

The pink haired slayer marched over to the wall and took a torch off the wall and stuffed his face with the delicious flames of the guild.

"He's sulking," Mira pointed out.

"Aye."

x.x.x.x.x

Finally the clouds of smoke dispersed in the air and everyone stood in shock.

"At least we made a crack," I added to lift the spirits.

"Don't be so sure of yourself," the veiled lady stated. She pointed at the crack in the wall and we all watched it patch itself up.

"A regeneration spell, huh?" The shadow dragon confirmed.

"This will be fun," Sting said as he cracked his knuckles.

"Fro thinks so, too!"

"You can do it, Sting! I believe in you!" Lector cheered.

Everyone's positive attitude perked up my magic and I was ready to fight alongside of them.

x.x.x.x.x

"Gray, we only have a few days to get this mission done. Let's accomplish this with accuracy and precision. No lollygagging around. Let's go!" Erza shouted.

"Don't you think that you have way too much luggage there, Erza?" Lisanna sweat dropped.

"Of course not! I only carry around the essentials."

Putting his hands on the waistband of his boxers Gray commented, "Alright, let's get this show on the road so we can get back to the guild. I'm sure Fairy Tail will look like charcoal if we don't get back soon."

"That is true. Natsu can be very impatient sometimes. Maybe we should have brought him along with us," she said flicking back her scarlet hair.

"No!" Lisanna yelled. "I mean, uh, I'm sure Natsu is fine. He can watch himself."

"…" Her words were too unconvincing.

"I, uh, Gray where are your pants?" She pointed out the lack of the ice mage's pants to change the subject.

The midnight haired wizard looked down and yelled. "Gah!" After rushing around to locate his missing garments, Gray felt a strange presence from behind. "Does anyone else feel that?"

The two girls looked behind at him and stared at him with blank expressions. "Do you feel anything weird?" the two asked one another. "No. Are you feeling unwell, Gray? Perhaps you need medical attention?" Titania questioned.

"Uh, no, I'm fine." He turned around and continued walking.

In the bushes, two glistening black orbs watched intimately as the three Fairy Tail mages walked away. _Gray-Sama! How could you leave on a mission and forget to tell Juvia!_ She cried in her heart.

x.x.x.x.x

"Sorry, Lucy, moo! I can't go on." And then he disappeared back into the Celestial world.

"Thanks Taurus, you deserve a rest," I said as I collapsed to my knees.

"Lucy Sama, shall I return as well? Your magic power is draining."

"No, Loke. I'll be okay. Just give me a second." So I said, but I fainted backwards and Loke's gate was forced close due to my lack of magic.

"Lucy!" I heard Frosch call out. The little foggy neko pitter pattered his way over to me and hovered over my face.

"Frosch," I smiled at him and his teary eyes. "I'm fine. Don't cry."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the blonde man walking towards me. He had a look of worry on his face, not that arrogant smirk everyone seems to adore. Picking me up gently, Sting brought me to the far corner and laid me down, a safe distance from the explosions and rocks. "Just rest easy." I nodded.

"It looks like it's time for me to step in. Let's see what can be done," Minerva said standing from her leaning position on the wall.

I watched from the sidelines as Minerva raised her glove covered hands. Her fingers widely spread out as a spectrum of light swirled around them. She did some strange motion with her hand and the rock wall began to crack and crumble.

"S-such power," the hooded woman stuttered, amazed at her power. Exactly what type of power did Sabertooth's Queen possess? Lost magic? I've never seen anything like it.

I sat up after having regained some of my strength and supported myself on the wall. "Amazing."  
Rogue who was standing only a few feet away from me heard what I had said and replied, "As expected from the daughter of Sabertooth's master. She truly has exceptional power."

"Then why was it that we had to come along if she could handle it on her own?" I asked. She was powerful enough to take on the world. Why did they go on missions in groups?

"Even though Minerva can take care of herself, Master has at least two men act as her body guards. She is his precious daughter, after all."

"I see."

"It seems are job is done here." Minerva stated. "Let us return to our guild, shall we?"

"But Minerva," Lector interjected. "Lucy still hasn't fully recovered. I think we should wait a little bit more."

"Fro thinks so, too!"

"No, I'm okay. I don't want to drag any of you down. You guys head on back first. I will catch up." Even though I said I would catch up my body wouldn't move from its spot. Summoning two golden keys at once really took a toll on my body.

Minerva walked out, Sting walked towards me, Rogue nodded and followed Minerva, and Frosch and Lector trailed behind them as well. "Let's go, Blondie. I'll carry you back until you can walk again." He did as he said and lifted me onto his back. I had no reason to fight and in return I laid my head against his shoulder blades.

Our client gave us the blindfolds once again before we departed and then disappeared behind the large wooden doors that were hidden behind that rock wall. We never did get her name. I wonder why.

…

We were gone for a total of five days and boy did I hate to say it but it was nice being back at Sabertooth's guild.

"Well Blondie it looks like you have two more days before I have to send you back to the Fairy Pound."

"Hey! They are not dogs!" I snapped.

He only chuckled. "Anyway, I will let you off the hook today since you still haven't fully recovered. Enjoy your break before you become my errand slave tomorrow." He left me in his room as he trotted off to do some other work. He said relax so I suppose I should have taken him up on that offer. Lugging my stiff body to the bed, I plopped down without a second thought and fell into a slumber immediately upon pulling the sheets over my head.

* * *

**Meilin: Alright! We're back at the Sabertooth guild and Lucy has one day left to spend with Sting before heading back to the beloved Fairy Tail guild!  
Natsu: Lucy's coming back!  
Happy: Aye!  
Meilin: Again, I am uber sorry for updating so late. School is getting super intense and I can hardly keep up. But be sure to drop a review and comment. What do YOU guys think is going to happen? And who is your FAVORITE PAIRING? STICY OR NALU?  
Lucy: Who's that lady and why don't we know her name.  
Hooded Woman: You will learn in due time, Lucy. Please leave Meilin a review if you wish to know my identity.  
Natsu: Yosh! I'm all fired up! If I leave a review will I get to know who you are!?  
Meilin: Uh, Natsu, I don't think that it works that way. –Sweat drop- ^.^" Thank you for everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I have a challenge for all of you: Can we make it to 100 reviews?!**


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